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For reasons known only to them, D* has chosen not to allow HBO Go access on the Roku. Some guessed that perhaps D* was a little uncomfortable helping a company like Roku that markets a cord cutting device.

HBO Go IS available for D* subscribers on the Xbox, after all, that's a gaming console and not a cord cutting streamer.

Microsoft has never hidden the fact that they wanted to control the living room. They made that clear when they announced the original Xbox.

It always seemed strange to me that Directv would have anything to do with them, but I suppose money talks, and Microsoft is no stranger to throwing money at every opportunity they see.

But perhaps with ESPN going to Xbox Live, and potentially pulling people away from the cable/sat companies, we'll see a drop in the price of ESPN, or maybe even an a la carte offering, which would be welcomed, imo.

Watch ESPN, HBO Go, MAX Go, CNN app, TruTV, Showtime Anytime and soon enough Starz. All networks with streaming apps. We're much closer to over the top now than 5 years ago.

Maybe it doesn't ever happen, but MS has the money to make it happen if they want to.

We're really not but the companies are doing well to provide more options to make their brands more relevant.

Wait, do you mean HBO shows are on Amazon Primes streaming service, or just that Amazon primes streaming service is available to Xbox Live subscribers?

There are some HBO shows but nothing current. If you don't mind being a couple of seasons behind it might be ok for you. It's a supplemental service not a take over service. Amazon wants to make money and not be targeted by IPS's for bandwidth issues.

Of all the services Prime gives you the most for your dollar due to the shipping upgrade as well and the fact that you can allow people in your house to have individual log ins unlike Netflix.

For the moment, you still need to be subscribed to a TV service in order to use the XBox video services like ESPN. So this is not a cord cutting tool. Frankly, though, neither is HBO GO on Roku.

You don't need a pay-tv subscription to get ESPN 3. I had U-Verse for internet/phone and ota for tv and ATT gave me ESPN 3(60). I now have Wide Open West for those services and E* for tv and I still get ESPN 3.

If you need to be current and willing to pay on a per episode basis, you can watch quite a bit current pay-tv (non-premium) programming through Amazon. So the landscape is slowly but surely changing. For example if you subscribe to a particular show, Amazon gives you a 5% discount. So a 16 episode series will cost you $45.44 in hd and $30.24 in sd. Pretty pricey, but if you only follow 10 - 15 non-ota network series, you can save money compared to a full pay-tv package. Add in Netflix for $16 per month (streaming + 1 disc by mail) plus ota, you can cut your tv costs while tailoring your tv package to your tastes. Of course the weakness of this plan is sports programing. But for most people, life is all about compromises.

Things aren't exactly looking bright for the future of the legacy TV model.

All of these compare TV to newspapers online. It's not the same at all. Newspapers died because the majority of people stopped caring about newspapers. They just wanted blogs and articles. Real journalism is left as a fine dining experience now and most people just go for the fast food of bloggers with an opinion(much like all of these articles). These people don't care because all it is about is page hits not anything real.

Everyone said youtube was going to be the death of the TV model because people could make their own shows and people would subscribe to them. How's that working out so far?

One day, far away, IPTV will be the mainstream. It will be because the technology will exist for people to provide it at a cost that's reasonable and everyone will be connected. However that model is a blip on the radar. Content providers cannot go out on their own right now. If they could they wouldn't be taking their channels down for $.30 a subscriber.

Now the real issue is people have this garden of eden mantra about IPTV. It will give you everything you want and you will pay next to nothing for it. How's that working out for online retail?

I've said this before and I'm sure I'll say it again. For every reason that you want something to happen because you say it will cost less is another reason why the content providers won't do it. They're not there for you. They're there for the shareholders who demand profits.

I've said this before and I'm sure I'll say it again. For every reason that you want something to happen because you say it will cost less is another reason why the content providers won't do it. They're not there for you. They're there for the shareholders who demand profits.

I don't know who this is directed at, but MS wasn't talking about cheap, over the top content, they were talking about becoming a pay TV provider and delivering your subscription via Xbox Live.

You're right, people have these pipe dreams about over the top, but that's not the point here.

The point is that the best guess for why D* blocks HBO Go on the Roku was that D* sees Roku as a threat, but allows it on the Xbox because they see MS as a partner.

That partner, Microsoft, has a stated goal of winning the living room with the Xbox. As late as December 2011 they talked openly about wanting to provide pay TV networks via Xbox Live.

D* and other MSOs are allowing MS to gauge interest in pay TV services on Xbox Live with HBO Go and Watch ESPN, but the Roku gets blocked.

Roku doesn't sell TV packages and Roku doesn't deliver any of the content that people watch on the device, but they are a threat. MS is a partner.

Meanwhile, D* welcomed the dirtiest player in the game to the table. Pipe dreams aside, IF Microsoft decides to offer pay TV service through Xbox Live then traditional MSOs are going to have a serious problem.

And D* won't have anyone to blame for their losses but themselves. And they'll STILL block HBO Go access on the Roku.

I don't know who this is directed at, but MS wasn't talking about cheap, over the top content, they were talking about becoming a pay TV provider and delivering your subscription via Xbox Live.

You're right, people have these pipe dreams about over the top, but that's not the point here.

The point is that the best guess for why D* blocks HBO Go on the Roku was that D* sees Roku as a threat, but allows it on the Xbox because they see MS as a partner.

That partner, Microsoft, has a stated goal of winning the living room with the Xbox. As late as December 2011 they talked openly about wanting to provide pay TV networks via Xbox Live.

D* and other MSOs are allowing MS to gauge interest in pay TV services on Xbox Live with HBO Go and Watch ESPN, but the Roku gets blocked.

Roku doesn't sell TV packages and Roku doesn't deliver any of the content that people watch on the device, but they are a threat. MS is a partner.

Meanwhile, D* welcomed the dirtiest player in the game to the table. Pipe dreams aside, IF Microsoft decides to offer pay TV service through Xbox Live then traditional MSOs are going to have a serious problem.

And D* won't have anyone to blame for their losses but themselves. And they'll STILL block HBO Go access on the Roku.

Microsoft is not attempting to become MVPD. They are attempting to become a portal for other companies. Hence the Xinfinity and FIOS apps rather than a link to a bunch of channels independently.